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Come celebrate food culture in the Steel City! Pittsburgh Restaurant Week kicked off Monday and will run through the weekend (Aug 12-18). The event has 69 participating restaurants, each offering discounted three-course meals, many created specially for this week.

I caught up with Brian McCollum, Director of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, to learn more about the event.

What are your thoughts on the Pittsburgh restaurant scene?

“I’m sure that people in Philadelphia want visitors to know that they eat more than just cheese steaks. In Pittsburgh, we feel quite similar. Though we have the utmost respect for Primanti Brothers, our city has a lot more to offer than sandwiches topped with coleslaw and fries. The cultural and dining landscape of Pittsburgh has experienced a renaissance in the past decade, and Restaurant Week is a great way to highlight and celebrate this.”

What’s the idea behind fixed-priced meals?

“By offering a multi-course set-price menu, it allows diners to experience three different courses at a restaurant at a discount. While it’s most popular for diners to venture and experience new restaurants, even local staples in the food scene have experienced great success by inventing new dishes in honor of the celebration.”

Could you give us a brief history of PRW?

“Originally planned as an annual event beginning in January 2012, Pittsburgh Restaurant Week has spawned into a twice-annual celebration between Pittsburgh restaurants and the community.”

McCollum said the first celebration had 30 restaurants and was so well-received that restaurants requested a second event in the summer. Compared with January 2012, this summer’s PRW will feature more than double the number of restaurants.

What’s the role of food bloggers in PRW?

“Personally, I think Pittsburgh Food Bloggers play a vital and necessary role in restaurant week. In fact, I started restaurant week because I am a food blogger passionate about Pittsburgh’s food scene, and I felt that it was time for Pittsburgh to have a restaurant week. To incorporate my fellow bloggers into restaurant week, I host an invitational dinner just for food bloggers.”